THE FLATLEY DRYER

[Stanley]

And the Germans then converted the magnetic mines they had in stock by fitting them with a parachute and a barometric fuse that detonated them at about two or three hundred feet above the ground making them into a very effective blast bomb. Here's an unexploded one in Liverpool in 1940. They dropped them on us in Stockport and I can remember seeing one in the beams of the searchlights as it fell. We were on our way into the shelter and it exploded over an orphanage nearby killing about 300 kids. They were big!

[Stanley]

I haven't been to Stockport for a long time and I am sure that I wouldn't recognise most of the town centre now. What used to strike me even then was that one block back to the North from the main shopping street, Prince's Street, there were some of the worst slum properties in the town.



The Wellington Road end of Prince's Street in 1949. Wellington Road was the main A6 London Road. The UCP was where I used to go for my dinner each day from school. I used to catch the tram from Davenport down to the centre. Perhaps I ought to get someone to take me back there for a walk round the town......

[Tripps]

"Perhaps I ought to get someone to take me back there for a walk round the town.."

I often get similar thoughts - but have fought off the urge. I'm sure it would lead to disappointment. The wish remains though - I'll do it one day.

Are you sure about the 300 deaths at the orphanage? I can find no other reference to what would surely have been a major incident of the war. Maybe I've not looked hard enough?

[chinatyke]

Are you sure about the 300 deaths at the orphanage? I can find no other reference to what would surely have been a major incident of the war. Maybe I've not looked hard enough?

War propaganda? Deliberate misinformation fed to the masses?

[Stanley]

That's the figure I have in my head, could be wrong I suppose but we saw army wagons taking the bodies away...... It was a long time ago.....

[Stanley]

I often think that people of my generation have a definite advantage in this modern world. We have fewer expectations. We don't expect perfect cleanliness absolute safety or the latest home improvements. I'm sure that anyone coming into my house will notice that the decorations aren't fresh and perfectly stain free, they may note that my shirt could be cleaner and as for the dog hairs..... least said the better. All I can say in response is that my immune system is obviously coping, I am perfectly happy and well fed and sleep like a log every night. I might be doing something right somewhere!
I know that many would disagree with this way of life but consider this, my generation has been described as 'The last healthy generation'. Largely a product of the fact that during the war proper attention was paid to nutrition as part of food rationing and the nation came out of the war in better shape physically than it went in. This ethos also gave us the NHS and the biggest house-building programme we have ever seen. Don't knock it! Instead, compare it with what we have now.......

[plaques]

and the biggest house-building programme we have ever seen.

George Orwell's 'Road to Wigan Pier' paints the picture of the misery of living in the slum dwellings of the northern industrial towns. Back to back houses, multiple family occupation, low income and high rents. He makes it clear that it wasn't the people that caused the slums but unemployment and extremely low wages. Fast forward to today and what do you see, lower wages through zero hours, a shortage of affordable houses and rents increasing to a point of unaffordability in the cities and we are back on the Road to Wigan Pier.

[Stanley]

Spot on P. That's why the work of the Rowntree Foundation is so valuable today. They are flagging up exactly the same problems today as the ones that triggered Seebohm Rowntree, a committed Quaker, in the 19th century. Worth looking on the site for the articles by Reach on housing conditions in the Manchester area, the same source as the articles I did titled 'Drugged to Death'
I know that many think I am rabid left wing when they read my criticism of political policies that affect the lot of the poor but this stems from frustration that we still do nothing about avoidable human misery. I spent a year with Dr Steve Constantine at Lancaster doing his S19 course on inter-war history and a large part of it was examining the condition of the poor. At the end of the year I was asked my conclusion and it was that the problem was and still is distribution of wealth. I can assure you that no reasonable person could come to any other conclusion. The truth is out there but particularly now, is being completely ignored in favour of the wealthiest in society who hold the political power. This is the nub of the message from people like Piketty and Stiglitz and I have little doubt that they are as frustrated as I am.
So, when I have my next rant bear this in mind. I have seen the light and hate anyone who stands in the way!

[Stanley]

There was a time when 'labourers' were a vital component of the labour market and whilst not as well paid as skilled jobs a person could earn a living wage and have a certain amount of dignity. This ethos has completely gone now and even 'semi-skilled' jobs are underpaid. In addition what used to be highly skilled jobs have been de-skilled by the introduction of CNC machining and industrial robots. The situation is made worse by the fact that primary education, which used to be good enough to prepare children for the world of work is no longer fit for purpose. I have long argued that any additional educational funding should be channelled into the early years in preference to higher education but it isn't happening. The consequence is that we are turning out children who are going to be unemployable all their lives and it gets even worse because this syndrome is spreading to the lower echelons of the 'white collar' classes now as IT replaces so many mid range jobs for administrators and clerks. This is largely ignored by government who are focussed on the larger economy and the massaging of the wealthy. This is serious now but can only get worse.

[Bodger]

I was classified as a machine tool fitter, and in the fitting area we had labourers on call for fetching and carrying, it saved skilled mens time for assembling machinery

[Tizer]

The earlier in life that you provide education, the greater the impact. It's like giving a house strong foundations.

[Stanley]

Quite right both of you. We are building up tremendous problems for the future at the moment. All that potential talent being stultified in the early years by lack of investment in our greatest asset, the young.

[Stanley]

A post I made this morning on steam engines reminded me of my short-lived career as a bookie's runner in the 1950s..... In those days street betting was illegal, it could only be done via an account with a registered turf accountant, there were no betting shops. How it worked was that I was given betting slips by Sid, the bloke I worked for spare time at Bradbury's cycle shop and I want on my bike about two miles to Green End near West Didsbury where I went to the back door of a council house, knocked and a trap door opened and a hand came out into which I put the slips. That was it! I never got to pick any winnings up and didn't really understand what I was doing which was of course illegal! What a contrast with today where we are swamped with opportunities to gamble. Is this progress?

[Tizer]

I wasn't sure where to post this, so here goes...enjoy a high-speed tram ride through the centre of Manchester:
`Tram driver's view of Manchester city centre' LINK
"Footage from a driver's cab has been released as a new £165m city centre tram line opens. The route passes historic landmarks such as Manchester Town Hall, the Royal Exchange Theatre - once dubbed the "largest room in the world" - and the Corn Exchange, before it reaches the more contemporary National Football Museum."

[Stanley]

There is a very famous picture of the trading floor at the cotton exchange. It was a very efficient system that allowed the manufacturers and spinners to interact with the merchants efficiently and so trade on vast quantities with low profit margins. This was good while trade was buoyant but when trade fell and looms were idle the fixed costs of running a mill rose and wiped out the small profits. This was why after 1920 so many mills were trading at a loss while hoping trade would pick up. It never did of course, the world had changed.

[Stanley]

When we were going to school in the morning we saw lots of suited and often bowler hatted men getting on the Manchester buses. This was the army of clerks who ran the systems in industry and local government. My mate's dad ran the same set of ledgers by hand at the Calico Printer's Association for 40 years. Even then I wondered how anybody could do that. Those jobs have almost all gone now and once again I wonder whether it is progress in every case.

[Stanley]

One thing that has totally disappeared from the scene today but was common in my youth is 'The Gentlemen of the Road', tramps, who were a common sight making their way round the country and occasionally knocking on the door and begging for food or sometimes work. I never had any fear of them and suspect that in many cases they were simply people who couldn't handle a settled existence and modern life. My mother never refused them and I often wonder what the modern equivalent is. Somehow rough sleepers don't quite fit the bill.

[Stanley]

Mention of 'The Gentlemen of the Road' reminds me of the days when us wagon drivers were referred to as 'Knights of the Road'. Hard to believe now but many articles were written about the romantic job of wagon-driving. I note the minefield of regulations that enmesh drivers today (including the new regulations that came in yesterday on cell phones) and the fact that many vehicles have trackers fitted to them and all are contactable by phone and I think back to the halcyon days when, once we had set off on a trip, we were free agents. You chose whether to call base or not and almost always never bothered. That was real freedom and such a contrast to today when 'juggernaut drivers' are vilified and constantly monitored. I tell you, I saw the glory days of motoring and the 'open road'.

[Stanley]

Another thing I remember connected with both 'Gentlemen' and 'Knights' of the Road was the speculation in articles about secret codes used by both. The tramps were said to leave secret signs made of twigs and stones to alert other tramps about dangers like savage dogs or soft touches where they could get a hand out. In the case of drivers the common theme was speculation about signals using lights at night. In the latter case they were completely wrong and I suspect that in the case of the tramps they were equally mistaken. There were plenty of tramps about and I certainly never saw any 'secret signs'. Funnily enough this speculation arose again much later about the chalk marks left on pavements at street corners by canvassers and leaflet deliverers. There seemed, in all these cases, to be a need to be 'in the know'. (I've just remembered the discussions about bookies on race courses and 'Tic Tac' signals......)

[Tizer]

Unfortunately not many of the wagon drivers we meet on our local country roads could be called `Knights of the Road' these days. They cut corners and drive with their outside wheels across the white line. They drive very fast on winding roads and it's not unusual to have an articulated lorry right on your tail. Many of the wagons are too big for our country A roads and when they meet everything stops while they negotiate slowly past each other. They drive too fast in the village too, especially the gravel lorries.

[Stanley]

You are right Tiz. It was that deterioration that brought me off the road in 1973, it had got to be a young man's job! You've reminded me of an incident in the small village of Oulton in Cheshire. I was driving slowly and sensibly through the narrow main road with sixty feet of wagon and trailer when I met a car on a blind bend. I stopped leaving him plenty of room to get by and as he passed, the Vicar (for it was he!), wound his window down and with a purple face shouted 'Polluter' at me. I thought it was very unchristian of him because I was driving considerately and servicing one of his parishioners. Times were changing and I wanted out!

[Stanley]

Mention in another topic of Paraffin reminds me of the common use of it as a heating fuel. Inside the home the ubiquitous Aladdin paraffin heater was common.

Alladin paraffin heater.jpg

Even more common was the use of paraffin heaters by poultry keepers for brooder lamps, motorists for sump heaters and tradesmen in paraffin blow-lamps. One other accessory was needed, Methylated Spirits for lighting Tilley lamps and blow-lamps which worked by vaporising the fuel and had to be pre-heated to start them. In my youth this was only sold in chemist's shops and in Stockport there was a by-law which prohibited its sale between 4PM on Friday and Monday morning to limit its availability to poor people who wanted to mix it with other things like tomato sauce to make what was know as 'Red Biddy'. I think that was the reason for the blue dye as well.

[Tizer]

When I worked for Boots Chemists we had to be careful when people asked to buy methylated spirit. The pharmacists and dispensers knew the dodgy ones in those days but it would less easy now. The blue colour is methyl violet, and pyridine is added to give a bad taste and smell.

[Stanley]

Thanks for that Tiz. Discussion of this has reminded me of something that always causes amusement to the younger end. In those far off days the only place you could get Olive Oil was at the chemists and it was used mainly to alleviate earache. In our house we always had a small bottle on the mantelpiece over the fire so it was always warm.......

[Tizer]

Do you remember `Indian Brandy'?